DEHRADUN: A shocking case of land grabbing has surfaced in Dehradun involving an 80-year-old Non-Resident Indian (NRI) woman.

A land mafia allegedly forged documents to seize her six-bigha ancestral property in Bharuwala Grant and sold it to multiple buyers. The woman, Neelam Misal, discovered the fraud after noticing construction activity on her land.

She subsequently filed a police complaint, leading to the registration of a case against 27 accused individuals.

Misal learned that her six bighas (approximately 5,400 square yards) of inherited land had not only been illegally occupied but also subdivided into plots and sold for crores of rupees while she was living abroad.

According to police sources, upon returning to Dehradun, Misal—who currently resides in Maharani Bagh, South Delhi, and has lived in the US for many years—was shocked to find the entire tract of land in Bharuwala Grant already developed, with houses, foundations, and demarcated plots in place.

“I couldn’t believe my eyes,” Misal stated through her appointed representative, Zeeshan of Saharanpur, who is handling the legal proceedings in India. “My ancestral home was gone, replaced by a massive, illegal construction project. This was not just theft; it was a systematic, organized attack on my heritage.”

A probe into property records at the Sub-Registrar’s office has uncovered a large-scale forgery operation. Police sources say the fraud involved fake sale deeds and other forged documents that were meticulously planned and executed.

Following the discovery, Misal registered a formal complaint at the Clementown Police Station in Dehradun. In a significant development, the police have filed a case against 27 individuals under serious sections related to fraud, forgery, and illegal land grabbing.